Call Tonja Yelton at 720-483-3010 or send an email to gedinfo@bouldercounty.org. or visit WFBC.org

Adam Green never could get a hold of the whole public school experience.

"I got in a lot of trouble," Green said. "I went to nearly every school in Boulder County except for two."

Green, 18, will be one of about 30 Boulder County residents who will get their GED diplomas on Saturday in Longmont in a ceremony put on by Workforce Boulder County.

Although he struggles with mental health issues and run ins with the law, Green is now working at Boulder Community Hospital and is considering a career as a nurses assistant or a registered nurse.

"I like making people smile," he said. "It's something I want to do with my future. Not sure how I'm going to do that right now, but I'll figure it out."

Tonja Yelton, and adult education specialist with Workforce Boulder, said a variety of people come through the GED program, everyone from younger people who had trouble in school to older people looking for a better job.

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"We take pretty much everyone," Yelton said. "If someone is interested in getting their GED or equivalency we will work on getting them in."

She added that there are certain qualifications that people must meet to participate in the Workforce Boulder County program, but she encourages anyone who is interested to reach out.

"We really want to know people's back stories," she said. "It's not really a group experience. It's a personal experience. We want to know how a person learns."

She said getting a GED really isn't an end-goal but the beginning to something better, whether that be going to college or seeking a job that requires a person to have a high school diploma. Parents going through the program also get help tutoring their children.

Esther Peter came to Lafayette as a refugee from South Sudan in 2013, and she has always wanted to go to college. Her parents couldn't afford for her to finish school back in Africa, so she has decided to get her GED.

She said she plans on going to college and obtaining a business degree. She hopes to one day start a non-profit to provide assistance in her home country.

"I'm from a big family, and a poor family," she said "We couldn't afford for all of us to go to school. Coming to the United States has been a great opportunity for all of us."

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